Of Myriad Paths by Saal Baraan is a collection of poems about illness, injury, addiction, and recovery. Each one focuses on a fictional person or situation, although inspired by the author’s real experiences as a doctor. They can be read as standalone pieces, with shared themes of loss, setbacks, and caretaking resonating through the book.

The poems are basically flash fiction with line breaks, so although I enjoyed the images presented, I questioned the choice of poetry over prose. Each story is a chance to meet a new character, and consider a new situation. There are also literal images presented, with lovely illustrations accompanying each piece. The blend of words and pictures invites readers to slow down and consider the human lives discussed.

The author is a doctor, and his care for patients just shines through his work. I especially enjoyed the poems considering addiction, which is handled as another sad illness, not a personal or moral failure. I couldn’t help thinking about how we have so little support for people who substance abuse in our society today, and how rare it is to have medical profession treating addicts with compassion.

Anyone in a caretaking role (even temporarily while a spouse or parent recovers from surgery) will find moment that resonate in this collection.

I received a copy of the book from the author for review. Opinions are, as always, my own.